Life is too short to say NO to cake!

You don’t necessarily have to make the regular and common cake if you want to make a birthday cake. There is no such rule dictating you of what kind of birthday cake to make, so feel free to try different kinds of recipes and styles. In fact, if you can make a unique and not-so-ordinary birthday cake, it is likely that people will remember you and your creation.

Making a birthday cake isn’t necessarily limited to cheese or chocolate variants. If the birthday person is into fruits and cream, then why not combining them all in one harmonious design? Italian Blueberries Cream Cake is a perfect example of how birthday cake can be so tasty and beautiful, without you having to follow the regular ‘cake’ rules.

The Ingredients

For the cake, you will need:

5 eggs, make sure you separate all the white and the yolk

A stick of butter

A cup of veggie oil

A cup of granulated sugar

2 cups of all purpose flour

A cup of flaked sweetened coconut

A cup of buttermilk – if you don’t have one you can mix a cup of milk with a teaspoon of white vinegar

A teaspoon of baking powder

A tablespoon of vanilla extract

A teaspoon of baking soda

For the frosting, you will need:

A stick of butter

A cup of chopped pecans

A cup of flaked sweetened coconut

Two packages of 8-oz cream cheese

2 pounds of powdered sugar

2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

3 small containers of blueberries

How to Make One

For the cake, you have to:

Grease and flour the cake pans. Use the two round 9-inch pans. Meanwhile, preheat the oven up to 350 degrees

Beat the egg whites. After it gets stiff, set it aside

Mix cream, oil, butter, and granulated sugar until it is fluffy and light (make sure to use big bowl). Add up vanilla, coconut, and egg yolks. It will be your wet ingredients.

By using different bowls, combine baking soda, baking powder, and flour. When you are about to combine this dry ingredient with the wet one, make sure to alternately mix it with buttermilk. Make sure that they are all combined well and simply fold in the white eggs.

Pour the dough into the pans and bake it for around 20 minutes to 25 minutes. Take it out from the oven and let it cool for around 15 minutes. Then, move it to the cooling rack and simply let it cool off completely.

For the frosting, you have to:

Combine cream cheese, vanilla, butter, and also powdered sugar. Make sure it is fluffy and light, then add up the coconut and pecans. Stir it well.

After everything is set, cut all the cakes in half lengthwise (there should be 4 of them, if you do it right). Add frosting on the first layer and top it off with blueberries. Repeat the process to the next layer until there are 4 layers of frosting and blueberries.

To make this cake, you will need total time around 115 minutes, consisting of 45 minutes for preparation, 25 minutes for cooking, and 45 minutes for inactive period. It is quite easy to make and you can get 12 servings from it.

Baking a cake isn’t exactly easy as there are always things that can obstruct the smooth progress and outcome. Even if you are a master of baking or you have been baking all of your life, it is not a guarantee that your cake will be smooth, perfect, and flawless. If you aren’t careful, it is possible that your cake will be cracked, burnt, crumbled, or even exploded. Even the minor mistakes in the ingredients and preparation will make your cake fail to develop and rise – which is certainly something you don’t want to happen.

However, let’s not worry because all of these flaws can actually be hidden right under your nose – or the eater’s nose, actually. You don’t have to be a cake decorator master to hide all those failures and make them look impressive. Make use of butter and sugar, and also loads of creativity, to get the work done. Decorating a failure cake will be just as fun as decorating the regular cakes, and you can expect the taste to remain the same. Mind you that these tricks and tips won’t apply to a burnt cake. If it is gone, then it is completely gone; there is nothing you can do about it.

The first one is to have sprinkle frosting cake. If you are making your own frosting, sometimes the result may not be in your favor. It may crack, become too solid, and such thing alike. You don’t necessarily have to make another one – it is going to be a waste. You can make use of the failed frosting by turning it into sprinkle frosting. Simply add colorful sprinkles – it can be colorful, glittery, or with shapes – and your frosting is good to go! It is super easy and super fun. If you tag along your kids in this project, they will love it. They can choose the sprinkles while you are going to frost the cake. You are all going to love the result.

The second one is the chocolate drizzle. You create this cool effect as if there were a chocolate liquid drip over the cake. This super cool effect requires no skill or efforts at all. Simply melt a chocolate bar and while it is still warm, pour it on the top of the cake. It can cover imperfect surface of the cake as well as delivering this droplet effect. Another cool fact about this effect is that you are free to serve the cake with fresh drizzle or the frozen one. If you want the fresh one, simply serve the cake right after you pour the chocolate so the one eating your cake still feel the melting taste. If you want the frozen one, let it sit for a while after pouring and store it inside the refrigerator. Either way, chocolate lovers will love this method.

The third one is the cake-cake method, which means that you are covering the failed cake with another cake. It may seem odd and confusing – and certainly not a common thing to do – but its unique trait will appeal people and they may even like it! Sometimes the visual aspect is the most important. As long as you are able to hide the flaws underneath – and make them invisible – you are going to be okay. There are lots of tips and tricks to do so in the Internet, so feel free to browse around.

The fourth one is the ruffle cake decoration ideas. This is absolutely gorgeous and beautiful, and it can cover any imperfection easily and fast! When your cake isn’t properly made – there is a crack, the surface is uneven, etc – using ruffle cake decoration won’t only help hiding them all, but also make the cake look very good and tasty. If you can be creative with the ruffle – you come with unique colors or you apply ombre technique – your cake will certainly be the center of attention and everyone will eagerly want to have a bite.

The fifth one is the rose technique. Don’t you just love it when you see this unique and gorgeous cake where rose petals are all over it? You may think that making such cake and decoration ideas are hard and tricky, but it isn’t that difficult actually. Once you know the tricks, feel free to apply the technique to your cake and be ready to a new skilled Chef Master title that people address you with. Making rose technique is very easy and yet the result is absolutely marvelous.

The sixth one is color swirl technique. Basically, you combine attractive, cute, and adorable colors that will keep people away from spotting your flaws. If you deal with crumbly cake or cracked surface, this technique is the best one. It may not be too easy to learn this technique, but it is worth it. Once you get the hang of it, you can do it again and again; and being able to do it repeatedly is important if you want to cover up the imperfection. Browse around the net for how to and tricks; don’t be shy to try it and be a cake master!

The seventh one is to add sprinkles – even candy – on the frosting. If you are rather low on the energy and you run out of ideas to decorate your cake attractively, adding sprinkle to the mix will certainly make it different and beautiful. There are loads of sprinkle types available – mind you that they are all edible. You can have the regular sprinkle, the colorful one, and even the glittery one. If you want to take the cake decoration idea a step further, consider adding candy into the frosting. Just attach them while the frosting is still fresh – it will be like sticking a sticker and let the frost become the natural glue. You can use the regular candies or yuppie. Tag along your kids; they will be more than happy to lend a hand. Leave the cake decoration department to them. Not only will the final result be unique, your kids will be proud of their work.

Even if you don’t plan on having your own business, it doesn’t hurt to know the essential baking tools that you will need to satisfy your baking passion and like. These tools are important and essentials if you want to have smooth and satisfying baking time.

So, what are the tools you should have? This is the list:

Baking parchment. Also known as silicone paper, this non stick paper is generally used for cake tin inside lining so the cake won’t stick to the tin and easily removed. Such parchment is usually resistant to moisture as well as grease. When used to line in the baking tray, you don’t need to add grease. It can be used for freezer keep or oven usage.

Baking tins. Despite the various sizes, shapes, and types, the best ones are the solid and sturdy silver colored tins. The darker tins can make the cake goes dark on the side because it tends to absorb the heat. Be sure to use the right size so baking time goes according to the recipes. Using different sizes requires more adjustment, and it is likely that the result won’t be the same as the one on recipes.

Cutters. If you like making your own cakes – especially for your kids – having various kinds of cutters will provide fun and attractive options.

Measuring jug and spoon. Measuring jug is important when you have to include liquid ingredients as it will ensure right quantity. Measuring spoon can provide more accurate amount of ingredients being used. A measuring spoon is generally available in a set, able to help you deal with different measurements.

Mixing bowl. It is advisable that you have at least two mixing bowls – make sure that they are quite big. There are different types of bowls available, from plastic, metal, and glass. Whatever types you like, it is okay. But it would be handy if you can have those with heatproof so you use them for the microwave or when you have to melt chocolate in simmering water.

Mixer. It may not be the most important tool for baking cakes, as you can always use a whisk, but it saves you efforts, energy, and time. If you have extra money, it doesn’t hurt to buy a mixer – whether it is a hand mixer or a standing one.

Rolling pin. If you have cake business, having a rolling pin is important as it will provide smooth result. Nowadays, there are some pins with patterns, so the dough will have these interesting patterns that will improve the look of the cake. A good rolling pin has solid weight – it isn’t too light but not too heavy either – and it should be wide enough to cover the dough nicely.

Scales. It is important to know the exact and accurate measurement of the ingredients.

Spatula. It is flexible, provide great assistance to deal with cake mixture

Whisk. It is useful to provide volume for the cake mixture. The most common one is the balloon whisk, while the electric whisk is what people call as hand mixer.

Spoon. The spoon is useful to mix up ingredients. It is up to you to choose the metal spoon or the wooden spoon.

Starting a cake business is surely fun and exciting, especially if you have deep interest and passion in the field. However, business is business, and there are lots of unspoken and unwritten rules about running it. Sure, cake business seems fun, enjoyable, and easy, but there are loads of things to consider and think about. Many people often make mistakes by underestimating the importance of setting up solid plan of the cake business, but you know better right? If you want to make sure that your cake business is flourishing and successful, try to avoid these mistakes and do the opposites.

The first common mistake is not to plan the price carefully before taking orders. Many people focus more on taking order first and then sort things out. You should do the opposite: you should make research about the expenses that you need to make, calculate how much profit that you will take, and come up with the final result. Not only planning everything will make you look professional, it will also prevent any heartache or dispute. No matter how you get into the cake business – whether you plan it or by accidents – you always need to come up with the right and solid pricing structure. Can you imagine the chaos that will happen if you don’t have such planning? You take orders and simply toss around the numbers that come to mind, and then you regret it because not only you don’t get profit, you need to add up much more from your own pocket.

Before taking orders, be sure to always be straight and forward about the price. Even if you decide to give out discounts, you should always discuss it. It is better to get clearer understanding, than dealing with regrets or disputes later on. And you certainly want to stay looking professional and reliable, don’t you?

The second mistake is not coming up with series of rules, regulations, and policies before starting up business. Such things may seem simple, but they affect your productivity, mood, and the flow of the work. How is the payment made: during delivery or in advance when orders are placed? Do you need down payment and deposit? Are you responsible for the delivery, and if yes, will it extra more? Do you provide cake testing and how many people are allowed to attend it? Do you provide service with minimum order? Such things have be planned and thought of carefully. If not, you will deal with chaos and complaints from the customers, and your cake business won’t last long. And make sure that they understand these policies before making orders. If they don’t want to accept these rules, walk away – it is your business, you set the rules; not them. The option is to take it or leave it – it’s that simple.

The third mistake people often make is to mix personal relationship with business. Even when it is your best friend, or your colleagues, or your in-laws that are ordering the cake, you shouldn’t sacrifice your own feeling or profit. Business is business, and when you are trying to maintain your professionalism, they should do the same. Be forward about payment and down payment – if they don’t make one, then you shouldn’t start making the cake. Make sure that they understand your rules and abide them. Don’t fall into ‘hey, I’m your friend, so you should give me a slack’ scheme.

The fourth mistake is to underestimate the importance of menu and recipes. You need to know for sure that you can make the cake perfectly and flawlessly; it’s not the time to experiment with new recipes when taking orders. Make sure that you have known the details of the filling, frosting, or the cakes that you are going to offer. Make sure that they are edible and you are successful in making them. If your customers ask for custom orders, it is you who decide to take it or refuse it. If you are willing and up to it, you can give it – given that you have made one before and you aren’t experimenting with it. But in case you refuse it, it’s okay – it is not a sin to reject such order.

The fifth one is to allow your customers be the boss. Keep in mind always that you are the boss, despite the fact that you cater their needs. It is your business and your rules; and it is you who run the show. You know what’s best so don’t let them control you. There are some cases where the cake orders fall apart because the cake manufacturers allow the customers to decide how the cake should be made. There was a case where a wedding cake fell apart because the bride didn’t want the cake to have a wooden support within it, which led to the cake being collapsed. You don’t let anyone dictate or control how you run the business, so walk away if the customers are too demanding with unreasonable wishes.

The sixth mistake is to overlook local health regulations. Although you may run the business from home, it is still a business that is related to other people, so you don’t want to be charged with neglect accusation or food poisoning issue. Make sure you have checked the regulation and really understand them.

The seventh mistake is to forget about copyrighted issue. When it comes to legal problem, you may want to consider copyrighted characters. In cake industry, people – especially parents – like to order popular characters like Sponge Bob, Donald Duck, Big Bird, or others. Not only they are cute and fun, they will certainly please loads of kids. However, don’t forget that these characters are copyrighted and you need to comply with the legal regulations about it. Check the legal regulations in your city and state about it and how you can still be productive without violating the law.

And the last one is to separate your personal and business accounts in social media. Marketing and promoting through social media isn’t only easy, flexible, and fun, but also successful and lucrative. But be sure that you use separated account for your business and personal usage. After all, you don’t want to be seen showing off your dirty laundry and look unprofessional by your customers – or potential customers.